HELIX PINNACLE revisited

while on mtgo, I played Knollij. It was the funniest thing I ever saw, and far surpasses our own feeble attempts at abusing helix pinnacle. This is the decklist I faced:

4x Ponder
1x Helix Pinnacle
4x Rampant Growth
1x Idyllic Tutor
4x Farhaven Elf
3x Fertilid
1x Idle Thoughts
4x Mulldrifter
4x Mana Reflection
4x Clarion Ultimatum
4x Time Stretch
2x Mind Spring

4x Plains
4x Bant Panorama
7x Forest
9x Island

Sure it is missing cryptic command, but this version costs about ten bucks to build from the ground up. And it is very amusing.

(Thanks to Knollij for the decklist.)

red goblin deck wins

I really love goblin decks. So I came up with a blazing fast mono-red beauty for our own discussion and entertainment. I probably will never actually play a goblin deck at FNM (unless we can improve on this considerably).

19 Mountains
4x Tattermunge Maniac
4x Intimidator Initiate
4x Mogg Fanatic
4x Mudbutton Clanger
4x Tarfire
4x Lash Out
3x Incinerate
4x Goblin King
4x Sensation Gorger
4x Boggart Ram-Gang
2x Seismic Assault

sideboard
4x Flame Javelin
4x Magma Spray
4x Dragon's Claw
3x Relic of Progenitus



This deck is played like a combo, except your combo pieces are all your little red turds turning sideways as fast as possible. You want to win before your opponent stabilizes. That means you have four turns to do as much damage as possible, then you need to find a way to do just a little bit more on turn four. The easy way would be get to three lands, then start hording them so you can get a nice seismic assault finish.

Did I mention that I love goblins?

Standard Deck I'm taking to Iowa

Creatures:
3x Tidehollow Sculler
3x Sower of Temptation
4x Mulldrifter
3x Reveillark
3x Puppeteer Clique

Spells
4x Ponder
3x Broken Ambitions
1x Familiar's Ruse
4x Unmake
4x Cryptic Command
2x Makeshift Mannequin
2x Profane Command

24 Land (I have to get the uncommons for it still.)

Im bringing a lot of cards for sb so that way I can change as need be.

F'N'M'(irrorweave) Goats

3x Condemn
4x Wizened Cenn
2x Mirror Entity
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Spectral Procession
4x Springjack Shepherd
2x Mirrorweave
3x Ajani Goldmane
4x Wrath of God
4x Mulldrifter
3x Reveillark
14xPlains
4x Adarkar Wastes
3x Mystic Gate
2x Springjack Pasture

Sideboard
4x Oblivion Ring
3x Runed Halo
4x Unmake
4x Wispmare


Mulldrifter, Wizend Cenn, Mirror Entity, Springjack Shepherd + Reveillark equals I have a bunch of creatures or card advantage after a Wrath of God.

Two Turn to Mist will help my comes into play/leaves play to get the most out of Kitchen Finks, Reveillark, Springjack Shepherd and Mulldrifter. Also will obviously keep my guys alive if my opponent uses target removal. I think two is enough though.

Ajani Goldmane helps out with the goat tokens (two white mana symbols = two more goats), makes my 0/1 goats 1/2 and 2/3 and 3/4 goats and gives me infinite life. Or it means my opponent deals five damage to him instead of to me. I thought about just two, but he's good enough that I want him every game, and if I have a second one in hand to play after my opponent kills off the first one, happy days.

Mirrorweave is the reliable win. My spectral procession tokens, or my goats, all become wizened cenn. I can also make them copies of my opponents big threat.

Mirror Entity is the back-up plan.

Esper pt two

4x Bitterblossom
4x Shriekmaw
4x Esper Charm
4x Bottle Gnomes
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Wrath of God
3x Makeshift Mannequin
4x Mulldrifter
4x Reveillark
4x Reflecting Pool
4x Shimmering Grotto
4x Arcane Sanctum
4x Adakar Waste
2x Mystic Gate
2x Caves of Koilos
2x Underground River

Sideboard
4x Snakeform
4x Thoughtseize
4x Wispmare
3x Fulminator Mage

Thoughts? Comments?

Blinking Goats

4x Figure of Destiny
4x Turn to Mist
3x Runed Halo
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Mirror Entity
4x Oblivion Ring
3x Springjack Shepherd
4x Wrath of God
4x Mulldrifter
3x Reveillark
4x Adarkar Wastes
4x Mystic Gate
13x Plains
2x Springjack Pasture

sideboard
4x Wispmare
3x Oversoul of Dusk
3x Unmake
3x Condemn
2x Story Circle


If I play goats FNM it might look something like this. Last night I was laying out cards trying to come up with an FNM goat deck, and I ended up looking at Mulldrifter and Reveillark. A few minutes later I didn't have enough cards with white mana symbols to warrant playing Springjack Shepherd. And I had to run either Ajani Goldmane or Mirror Entity as the win. (I took out wizened cenn because I have to combo her with the entity, and I don't like the chances of a bulky combo like that actually getting pulled off more than one out of three games.) Since I went reveillark, i took out finks in favor of bottle gnomes, which come recur. Which removed even more white mana symbols. So my goat deck slowly evolved into the esper deck I posted yesterday. I like that deck a lot, but I may not have the lands to play it, if Drok doesn't have them to let me borrow. So this will be my alternate.

As David pointed out (and I realized last night), turn to mist works well with reveillark and other comes into play/leave play creatures. Imagine a reveillark getting blinked at the end of my opponents turn, targeting a shepherd and a mirror entity. I get two or three goats and get my flier back. On my turn they'll have to figure out a way to stop five or more big creatures.

I still don't think it will be as consistent as the esper deck, but unlike the esper deck, it has a clear victory condition (my esper build pretty much relies on staying alive long enough for bitterblossom to kill off my opponenet). Either deck could be fun, so I'll just see what I can get the cards for and play it.

Any more thoughts or suggestions about either of these decks will be appreciated. I have a big paper I have to work on all night and tomorrow, so I won't have much chance to mess around with any of this until tomorrow afternoon.

BWU Manipulation

4x Ponder
4x Agony Warp
4x Bitterblossom
4x Esper Charm
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Makeshift Mannequin
4x Cryptic Command
4x Mulldrifter
3x Reveillark
4x Reflecting Pool
4x Adarkar Wastes
2x Caves of Koilos
3x Underground River
4x Arcane Sanctum
2x Mystic Gate
2x Sunken Ruins
4x Shimmering Grotto

Sideboard
4x Sower of Temptation
4x Snakeform
4x Wispmare
3x Fulminator Mage


This deck is just about control and card advantage. Ponder and Mulldrifter for drawing, bitterblossom for tokens, reveillark and mannequin for recursion. The win is to control the board until I can get enough creatures to nullify my opponents threats and start swinging with my reveillarks. I imagine, more often than not, bitterblossom enables the win by either taking away life from my opponent, or enabling me to get into good board position by chump blocks or what not.

I really want to combo Empyrial Archangel with Makeshift Mannequin, but I feel like I would need to run a discard outlet in order to do that, and those cards would make my deck less good. Take out Reveillark for a Razormane Masticore makes this deck much worse. I had originally included Oona's Prowler, but that was solely for a way for me to get my angel in the graveyard. I think that combo won't quite fit into this decklist. And to be consistent, it would need something like Corpse Connoisseur, which I also don't have room for and would make this deck worse. Getting the Angel at instant speed for a black and three colorless is powerful, but I think it makes the deck overall less good. Am I right?

Bitterblossom: Bitterblossom is my dependable win condition. While I'm messing around with getting my mulldrifters and kitchen finks and reveillarks from play to my graveyard and back, my 1/1 fairy rogue army is (hopefully) dutifully whittling away my opponents life. Which make me think I should add three or four Scion of Oona or Oona's Blackguard. Hitting my opponent with free 2/2 fliers that can't be targeted or make them discard seems like a good way to steal the game. But, like the angel combo, does it just detract from the overall consisetency and synergy of the cards? I think a mannequin or reveillark getting back a scion of oona could change the game (probably more than oona's blackguard)...but then, where do I make the cut? Finks/Bottle Gnomes? Ponder? Agony Warp?

Shimmering Grotto: Obviously, this deck has 25 lands, which is a many. Secondly, it has four Reflecting Pools, which like Shimmering Grotto as much as it likes Vivid lands. Thirdly, Shimmering Grotto doesn't come into play tapped. Fourthly, it is a common, and therefore much easier to acquire than, say, Primal Beyond. I think it will work out well.

Bottle Gnomes vs Kitchen Finks: Bottle Gnomes is a 1/3 that I can sac for three life, and costs three colorless. Kitchen finks is a 3/2 that nets me a total of four life, has the versatility of a persist creature, and costs double white plus colorless. Kitchen Finks is unquestionably the better card. But then consider that Reveillark returns bottle gnomes, not Finks. True, with four Mannequins I can achieve recursion with finks, but not with the reveillark. So which is better for this deck? I am still leaning with Kitchen Finks because it is the "better" card, but I am not sure it is best for this deck. I am not sure how often I would be able to play a turn three finks. Double white may be not that common. A bottle gnome can always come down every turn three, though.

Cryptic Command vs Wrath: This build seems to be fairly aggressive for a control build. Only twelve cards have a way to get rid of creatures (agony warp, esper charm, cryptic command); the former, only -3/-3, the latter two, only temporarily. The more I look at it, the more it looks like I need wrath. The second argument for wrath is I own them already, and I own zero Cryptic Commands. If I ever did play this deck (and I think BWU would be very fun to play), I might be required to play wrath over command out of necessity. But let's just think about which card is better for this deck. Obviously Command is very good, but do I have enough removal without Wrath of God? I am thinking not.

Vs big creatures/Chameleon Collosus: snakeform comes in, agony warp goes out. Perhaps snakeform should be maindeck?

Sower of Temptation and Fulminator Mage: They are good on their own, with Reveillark and Mannequin they are very good. But perhaps more control options, such as Oblivion Ring, Condemn, or Unmake should be filling these sideboard slots? I don't want to limit my discussion of the best deck with what is my likely end result, but I don't own the fulminator mages or sowers, and I do have the unmakes, o-rings, condemns, story circle, etc.

What do you all think about wrath/command, finks/bottle gnomes, adding snakeform for agony warp, adding a Scion of Oona for...what? Is shimmering grotto the miracle common land mana fixer I think it could be? Is four of it too many? Sideboard creatures vs. sorceries/instants/enchantments that say control?

Jackhammer

3x Condemn
4x Goldmeadow Harrier
3x Runed Halo
4x Wizened Cenn
4x Oblivion Ring
4x Mirror Entity
2x Story Circle
2x Loxodon Warhammer
3x Wrath of God
4x Springjack Shepherd
3x Cloudgoat Ranger
22x Plains
2x Springjack Meadow


Sideboard
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Unmake
4x Oversoul of Dusk
3x Ajani Goldmane


Here's a different take on goats. Pretty simple. Early game is stall. Mid game is mass removal followed by spot removal. Late game is lots of tokens that swing for a big win. Or I give my 0/1 goat a hammer and let it go to town.

Wizened Cenn has good synergy with Mirror Entity (all my goats get +1/+1), Cloudgoat Ranger, and Springjack Shepherd/Goldmeadow Harrier get bigger. Also, double white symbol makes more goats. Finally, a turn two cenn turn three cenn sometimes steals games.

Cloudgoat Ranger seems to be a bomb for this deck. Four creatures for five mana. Synergy with Mirror Entity (lots of creatures fast), Cenn (the three tokens are kiths). Double white symbol makes more goats. Also, I can make a 5/3 flyer, which steals games sometimes.

Condemn and Harrier are very effecient early game.

Runed Halo typically comes out of the sideboard, but let me defend her presence in main deck. Game one it has two white symbols on it to help with goat production later on, like after a turn four or five wrath. Also, I can probably guess a threat my opponent will be playing game one. But even if I drop Runed Halo and say Mulldrifter, it still helps the goat production. Game two and three I will know better what to name, so it stays in, and I have a secret sideboard game, as you'll see.

Twenty four lands seems a bit much, but since I have two lands that make goats and require four colorless in addition to the pasture tapping, AND I have mirror entity, which is benefited by lots of lands, twenty four didn't seem like too much.

Now, as for the sideboard...
Game two and three I can play mono-white control. I can -4 Wizened Cenn, -4 Mirror Entity, -4 Springjack Shepherd, -3 Cloudgoat Ranger, +4 Unmake, +4 Kitchen Finks, +4 Oversoul of Dusk, +3 Ajani Goldmane. It is a compeletely different deck. I could only do that vs. Black Red or Blue, b/c now my win condition is the Oversoul, but he is a good win condition. Otherwise I'm depending on limited lifegain and removal into a big avatar, or just stalling until I get my oversoul down and swinging.

Or if my opponent seems to not be using any firespout, corrupt or wrath, and my already decent removal in my library is suffecient, I could leave things alone. Or if I want to race against mid-range aggro, I can take out wrath and runed halo and cloud goat add finks and ajani unmake.

What do you guys think?

BRG Tokens. Again. This time I think I have it.

BRG TOKENS, or, They are going to put this decklist in a vault somewhere for the prosperity of future generations.

4x manamorphose
4x bitterblossom
4x goblin assault
4x kitchen finks
4x gilt-leaf ambush
4x nantuko husk
3x sprouting thirnax
3x grave pact
3x marsh fliter
3x furystoke giant
4x reflecting pool
4x savage lands
2x vivid marsh
2x vivid grove
3x graven cairns
3x fire-lit thicket
2x llanowar wastes
2x karpulsan forest
2x sulferous springs

sideboard
4x firespout
4x snakeform
4x thoughtseize
3x flame javelin

60 cards main deck
24 lands
17 creatures
11 enchantments
8 instants
24 black mana symbols
18 red mana symbols
20 green mana symbols
15 card sideboard
8 sorceries
7 instants

Well, lets start with the curve. Zero one cost. Eight two drops. Nineteen three drops. Six four drops. Three five drops. I don't have much in the way of draw (four manamorphose, and four snakeforms from the board) but I have incredible virtual card advantage, in the form of many many tokens. It is as token heavy as the pre-Shards version, but now its a mid-range heavy-weight. Nineteen three drops is good, because I only have nine cards that cost four or more, but its bad because I only have eight cards which cost two or less. I think it will be ok, however, especially considering often times I will be playing at least one if not two lands that come into play tapped. That lets me get all three mana colors by turn three reliably.

This deck likes to win on turn six or seven, same as back in its pre-Shards days. My own pain lands and bitterblossom tends to kill me off if the games go much beyond that. Hence the Finks. I originally had loxodon warhammer, but that was before I was green. The Finks is a guaranteed two life, and I can almost always get four life out of it. It takes six mana to play and then equip the hammer. Finks, I anticipate, will help out incredibly. Not to mention persist, which creates good synergy with grave pact/husk, or if my opponent plays wrath.

I considered Predator Dragon long and hard (as a win condition, instead of furystoke giant) but ultimately decided six mana is too much of an investment, and Devour is too risky. I would not like to devour my six tokens and swing for eighteen only to have my dragon go down in a heap of terror. It is safer and cheaper to use the giant. And the clinching argument for the giant is his persist, which I already discussed the advantages of. And ultimately,the giant allows me clear the board with my tokens, make a huge sac to my husk and swing for lethal, which is effectively the same exact thing as the dragon, but it takes two cards instead of one. (That is if turning my guys sideways to tap for two points to my opponent's dome won't be sufficient.)

I feel good about this build. I have not play-tested it at all. Nineteen three drops may not work. I do have reservations about the perfect mix of lands. Perhaps I could tweak the lands a bit, or add a fourth marsh flitter.

The sideboard...
vs bitterblossom, token, or weanies: firespout comes in, gilt-leaf ambush goes out.
vs chameleon collosus, or other huge creatures that don't die easily: snakeform comes in, Flame Javelin comes in, -4 Goblin Assault (those guys don't help me chump block) -3 gilt-leaf ambush.
vs control: I want to get down turn two bitterblossom turn three goblin assault. -3 Grave Pact, -4 Gilt-Leaf Ambush, +3 Flame Javelin (a good finisher at instant speed) +4 Thoughtseize (make them discard a mannequin or cryptic command)
vs reveillark: This is where I wish I had unmake, crib swap, beckon apparition or other remove from game stuff. This deck is weak to reveillark, especially if it is coupled with mannequin and/or lifegain.

Just for purposes of discussion, here are cards that I considered, that didn't make the cut. If anyone wants to make arguments for them, or others, I'm listening...

Profane Command
Caldera Hellion
Murderous Redcapp
Shriekmaw
Loxodon Warhammer
Rockslide Elemental
Springjack Pasture
Unmake

brg tokens (revised)

4x manamorphose
4x bitterblossom
3x goblin assault
4x kitchen finks
4x nantuko husk
3x gilt-leaf ambush
4x sprouting thirnax
3x grave pact
4x marsh flitter
3x predator dragon

4x savage lands
2x reflecting pool
4x gilt-leaf palace
4x auntie's hovel
2x graven cairns
4x vivid grove
2x karplusan forest
2x llanowar wastes

sideboard
4x murderous redcap
4x firespout
4x bekon apparition
3x loxodon warhammer

Comments? Suggestions?
I have decided Shriek maw is ok from the sideboard, but too much black in our FNM meta to be maindeck. Gravepact should be maindeck, cause there's lots of aggro. There are lots of four+ toughness creatures. Profane command, nameless inversion and shriekmaw aren't that good, in this meta. If I had four RP's, I would go down to two vivid groves. My count is 19 green symbols, 17 red, 25 black. That's how I came up with my land count.

goats for the win

4x Condemn
4x Rhys, the Redeemed
4x Kitchen Finks
4x Oblivion Ring
4x Mirror Entity
4x Spectral Procession
2x Story Circle
4x Wrath of God
4x Springjack Shepherd
3x Ajani Goldmane
3x Springjack Pasture
20x Plains

Sideboard
4x Runed Halo
4x Stillmoon Cavalier
3x Oversoul of Dusk
4x Unmake

selective discarding, targeted removal, turning guys sideways, and bitterblossom is still the best card i have four of

4x Thoughtseize
4x Distress
4x Oona's Prowler
4x Nameless Inversion
4x Bitterblossom
4x Unmake
4x Nantuko Husk
4x Murderous Redcap
3x Gravepact
3x Profane Command
22x Swamp

Sideboard
4x Nameless Inversion
4x Shriekmaw
4x Stillmoon Cavalier
3x Bekon Apparition

B R TOKENS ! (goblins, fairies and...goats?!)

4x bone splinters
4x bitterblossom
4x nameless inversion
4x nantuko husk
4x goblin assault
4x rockslide elemental
3x loxodon warhammer
4x marsh flitter
3x profane command
3x seige gang commander
6x swamp
3x mountain
4x auntie's hovel
4x graven cairns
2x springjack pasture
4x sulfurous springs

sideboard
3x caldera hellion
4x thoughtseize
4x gravepact
4x bekon apparition

B R G tokens

4x bone splinters
4x manamorphose
4x bitterblossom
4x nameless inversion
4x nantuko husk
3x gilt-leaf ambush
3x sprouting thirnax
4x marsh flitter
3x furystoke giant
3x profane command
4x savage lands
4x reflection pool
4x gilt-leaf palace
4x auntie's hovel
2x graven cairns
2x fire-lit thicket
2x sulfurous springs
1x karplusan forest
1x llanowar wastes

sideboard
1x gilt-leaf ambush
1x furystoke giant
1x sprouting thirnax
4x murderous redcap
4x firespout
4x bekon apparition